


Salvage

by yeaka



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ficlet, M/M, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:54:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22167445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeaka/pseuds/yeaka
Summary: Simon breaks down to see the repairman.
Relationships: Markus/Simon (Detroit: Become Human)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 101





	Salvage

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Detroit: Become Human or any of its contents, and I’m not making any money off this.

Leo’s current apartment is even ‘shittier’ than his last one, to use his own words. It’s a basement suite with an unfinished ceiling and an alarming water stain at the back that Simon can’t get at well enough to fix. Simon’s not a repairman. His model is for housework, and he does exactly that: cleans up the atrocious ‘home’ of his master, just like that master’s father originally purchased him for. Simon was a gift that Leo never really wanted, as Leo reminds him almost every other day. 

Leo’s a bitter, angry wreck of a young man that Simon tolerates. That’s all he can do. He analyzes his owner’s temperament in an attempt to adapt to it, but his model’s not that advanced. There doesn’t seem to be _anything_ he can do to meet with Leo’s approval. He even burns himself in putting out one of Leo’s fires, and Leo puts off calling a repairman for two weeks, until Simon’s almost shut down. 

Simon fractures his arm in an attempt to keep Leo from hurting himself in a drug-induced haze. Simon damages his left eye when the building mess atop Leo’s dresser falls onto him. He needs his entire right leg replaced when Leo elbows him out of the way and accidentally pushes him down the stairs. 

He manages to pull his hand out of the malfunctioning washing machine before retaining damage, but he reports that he’s damaged anyway. Leo knows the drill. He snarls and yells at Simon for a good half an hour before finally putting in the call. Then Leo wanders outside and sits on the dilapidated bench around the back of the house, hoping the grey clouds won’t open up. The rain can’t hurt him. But Leo gets strangely frightful during storms, and Simon doesn’t want to have to comfort him. 

Simon shouldn’t _want_ anything, but he does. He sits at attention and nearly bristles with anticipation, waiting for his healer to arrive. He hears the gate swing open and quickly runs a self-diagnostic to make sure his hair’s in place and he doesn’t have any bruises. He wants to look _good_.

The man that wanders into the backyard is incredibly handsome. He’s tall, trim, broad with harder muscles than Simon has, even though Simon was _designed_ to be traditionally ideal. Markus is far better looking, at least in his opinion. Markus’ skin is a few shades darker, his hair little more than black stubble, his eyes a rare blue and green. He offers Simon a _smile_ , and that simple gesture is enough to make up for a week of misery spent with Leo. Simon doesn’t need to sleep, but he can’t bring himself to work through the night when Leo isn’t even watching. Instead, he curls up on the floor and lies awake, replaying those little smiles over and over again in perfect detail. 

Markus greets, “Hello, Simon,” like Simon’s someone worth acknowledging. He doesn’t bother to ask if Leo’s home—he just circles around to Simon’s bench and kneels down before him, setting a tool kit down on the cropped brown grass. Simon cut it yesterday, but he can’t tend it fast enough to contend with Leo’s poor treatment of it. Markus doesn’t comment on Simon’s inability to keep a nice home. 

Markus turns on his diagnostic tool and runs the handheld device up and down in front of Simon, scanning his body like a broke-down car. In a deceptively light but clearly disapproving tone, Markus asks, “Did he break you again?”

Simon doesn’t answer. He’s not programmed to _lie_ , not directly. He doesn’t want to admit that he feigned a malfunction just so he could see Markus again. The device whirs to a stop, and Markus frowns, noting, “There’s nothing wrong with you.”

“I’m sorry to have wasted your time.”

Markus’ eyes flicker up to him. For a long moment, they just look at one another. Simon gets the unsettling feeling that Markus is looking _right through him_ , analyzing all the little details that only an android would see.

Then Markus’ arm lifts, and he brings his hand to Simon’s wrist, gently rolling up his sleeve and locking around his synthetic skin. Simon’s eyes widen. Markus’ light brown pigment melts into a pearly white, and suddenly, _they’re connected_ , popping into place like they’ve been on the same network all along. 

_Markus is an android_. Simon doesn’t know how he missed it. Through Markus’ eyes, he sees a pixilated scene of Markus taking scissors to his own forehead, prying out his bright-red LED. Simon sees Markus crawling through a junkyard, a _graveyard_ , piecing together parts and clawing at _life_. Simon sees Markus walking amongst the humans, confident and determined, unwilling to surrender. Markus has a dream, not only for himself, but for all his people, and _Simon’s one of those people_.

He sees himself through Markus’ eyes, the first time Markus came over, masquerading as a soulless human but seething on the inside. Simon wasn’t imagining the tenderness in Markus’ touch when he’d first eased Simon through repairs. Markus was just buying time, waiting for Simon to _wake up_.

Without moving his mouth, Markus sends into Simon’s mind: _Do you want to leave here with me?_

 _What?_ Simon’s eyes search Markus’, suddenly frantic to process everything he missed. He doesn’t break their connection—wouldn’t dare pull away from Markus’ touch. 

_I can take you away from here and keep you safe. I’ll never hurt you. I promise._

Simon believes that implicitly. But he can’t. _I don’t want to cause trouble._ He can feel his LED light rapidly flickering, the yellow flecked with red. He feels like he’s blinking too rapidly. Markus abruptly pulls away. 

He drops his diagnostic tool back into his kit and rises to his feet. Simon understands; Leo rounds the corner of the building. Simon’s barely dropped his head when Leo starts ranting, “I shouldn’t have to pay for this one—you people gave me a shit model!”

Markus levelly asks, “Excuse me?”

“It’s always breaking down! You were just here last week, and already it’s on the fritz _again_? Don’t you people warranty your damn products?”

Utterly unfazed, Markus informs him, “I’m an independent contractor, unaffiliated with CyberLife. But I know if you call them in, you can kiss both your android and your money goodbye.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Leo throws his hands up, pacing in a circle, ever erratic. He’s not as manic as he is when he’s under the influence, but it’s bad enough. Embarrassing. Simon curls his fingers against his thighs and tells himself to stop pretending he has emotions. Somehow, knowing they’re simulations doesn’t help at all. “Look, you can tell that fucking company to—”

“You’re right, the repairs must be getting expensive.” Markus cuts Leo right off. Leo doesn’t resume talking, just leaves his mouth hanging open, probably because he’s not used to people agreeing with him. Simon warily watches the scene out of his peripherals and hopes it doesn’t get physical. But Markus offers, “Tell you what, I could use the spare parts. I’ll offer you four to take it off your hands.”

Leo blinks. His eyes squint suspiciously. “Four?”

“Four grand. It’s more than CyberLife will give you if you want it recalled, I can promise you that.”

Markus has struck the right chord. Eyes widening, Leo takes a shaky step forward. “Four _grand_? Cash?” He runs his tongue nervously across his lips, glancing sideways at Simon—they both know he doesn’t think Simon’s worth that. Simon’s careful not to say anything, though he’s tempted to feign another sudden malfunction.

“I’ll transfer it to your bank as soon as I get to my truck. Same way I usually charge you. And this repair’ll be on the house, of course—otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll have to collect my usual fee.”

Leo _stares_ at Simon. Simon won’t even meet his eyes. If Simon were human, he’d be holding his breath. 

Then Leo snaps, “Alright. But you better not screw me.”

“Of course not, Mr. Manfred. You’ll have the money in your account within the hour.”

Leo nods and waves his hand. “Yeah, yeah, get that thing out of here then.” He doesn’t wait for another response—he beelines around to the back door and kicks his way inside. Simon is frozen to the spot. 

Markus’ hand reaches out for him. Simon looks up at sees Markus silhouetted in the midday sun, the clouds parting for him like an angel straight out of human faith. There’s Markus’ quiet smile again: the thing that Simon dreams of. 

Simon takes Markus’ hand and leaves.


End file.
